On August 9, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer intercepted 629 pounds of methamphetamine concealed within a shipment of celery at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility.
Officers encountered a 34-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer, entering into the United States from Mexico. The driver, who held a valid border crossing card, was transporting a shipment labelled as celery. Following routine procedures, CBP officers directed the man to secondary inspection for more thorough examination.
During the secondary inspection, the shipment of celery was offloaded for closer scrutiny. A CBP K-9 unit was brought in to screen the produce and quickly alerted officers to the presence of narcotics. Upon careful inspection, officers uncovered 508 packages hidden among the celery, with testing confirming the packages contained methamphetamine. The packages had a total weight of 629.72 pounds and an estimated street value of $755,000.
CBP officers seized the narcotics and the commercial tractor-trailer involved in the smuggling attempt. The driver was handed over to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
